MAY 6th:
AUSTRALIAN WORKERS and SHEARERS DAY
The 6th of May marks the anniversary of the culmination of the shearers strike in 1891 at Barcaldine, Queensland, when the Colonial Administration ordered the arrest of the shearers leaders on charges of sedition and conspiracy.
Few Australians are aware of the facts and circumstances of this great "revolt" by these ordinary working men. The strike, during the overseas induced depression of the 1890's, was in response to the pastoralists reaction to falling wool prices, of intending to reduce the shearers wages, then at one pound per hundred sheep shorn.
At the time the pastoral companies comprised huge runs owned either by British investors or local owners heavily indebted to London bankers or British speculative capital, with the inevitable result of overseas control. First priority was the return on investment and for profits to be remitted back to England. The standard of living of Australians was a secondary consideration to this foreign connected "patriotic" business class.
The strike originated from the 5th January 1891 at the Logan Downs Station near Clermont, when Manager Charles Fairbain required shearers to sign the Pastoralists Association contract of free labour, prior to commencing work. This was the first step in reducing union influence in the sheds, but the assembled shearers to a man declined to work other than under their unions verbal agreement.
The union terms included continuance of the existing rates, protection of their rights and privileges under just and equitable agreements and a " closed shop" to exclude Chinese labour, from whom the well known anachronism of "scabs" originated .
In the 1880's unionism was like a religion to the exploited bush worker, seen as a source of salvation from years of tyranny. It was the natural expression of mateship which he readily understood.
In 1890-91, Brisbane was also a centre for radical republicanism from where "The Worker" newspaper was issued by the famous William Lane. He stated his support for working Australians and the shearers and wrote "you can take all social injustices and industrial inequalities and vested interests and strangle them one by one with your million muscled hands".
It was part of the great flowering of Australian nationalism of the time.
The striking shearers formed themselves into bush camps whilst refusing to supply their labour, and being used to roughing it, developed an orderly existence waiting out negotiations by the union organisers.
In February 1891 the centre of the strike shifted to Barcaldine, the terminus of the rail line from Rockhampton and at the centre of the Mitchell district, the richest pastoral area of the colony, and where some 30 stations, including the 90 stand Beaconsfield Station were affected. The shearers camps at Lagoon Creek and Blue Bush Swamp swelled to 400-500 men.
By March the battle lines had been drawn as the pastoralists brought in their "free" labourers, who were booed and jeered by the strikers, some joining the union ranks.
The influential George Fairbain of the Pastoralists Association demanded special action against union officials soliciting the "free" labourers.
The Colonial Authorities ordered police and troopers to protect the scabs from the unionists, having to ride from woolshed to woolshed to drive off the union shearers, and with many arrests occurring. Woolsheds and crops went up in flames.
The shearers raised the Southern Cross flag of the Diggers of Eureka and took the Diggers oath saying they would fight to the end, arming themselves and engaging in military drilling. The demand for a people's Republic arose.
Parades were held at Clermont and Barcaldine by both the unionists and the military, and at Peak Downs in a demonstration of strength, shots came close to being fired. Arrests were made but the strike went on before the Colonial Secretary, in time honoured fashion, ordered the arrest of the union leaders.
Mounted troopers went to the camp at Capella and arrested the unionists involved in the jostling of George Fairbain at the Clermont railway station. At Barcaldine, the police station was guarded by infantrymen with fixed bayonets as one hundred and twenty mounted infantry surrounded the union office, arresting the strike committee. They were charged under obscure British law with conspiracy and sedition.
It was a mortal blow to the union and the shearers, and by June the strike had collapsed as the men dispersed.
Thirteen of the union leaders were brought to trial at Rockhampton where they were sentenced to three years goal on St Helena island prison, as well as receiving on release, two hundred pound, twelve month good behaviour bonds.
The failure of the strike broke worker militancy, and hastened the call for a political movement to represent the interests of working people. This lead to the creation of a labour party which carried many articles of the republican faith, but never went far enough. The subsequent forfeiture of the ideals for a "National Federation", and acceptance of "Imperial Federation" under the Westminster system as part of the British Empire in 1901, critically undermined the foundations of this movement.
The present Labor Party hierarchy, and many of the union leadership, since the takeover by the "social democrats" and internationalists, would be treated with contempt by the workers of 1891, as traitors to their vision of the future of Australia.
This folkloric and nativist political heritage rightly deserves to be acclaimed by modern day Australians, particularly in view of the parlous state of our nation today, for there are many similarities between the depression of the 1890's and the present economic malaise befalling our citizens.
Our political Quislings remain subservient to foreign business corporations and international finance, and continue to undermine our economic sovereignty, the very basis for social equity for Australians. As well, Australians must again compete for work against cheap coolie labour, both overseas, and with the unwanted third world immigrants dumped into our society, all part of the "Asian Future" planned by our traitor class.
The great promise of Australia - financial independence through productive effort, of opportunity for a fulfilling life, for many has all but dissipated.
Nationalists call on real Australians to celebrate this great day of our own cultural heritage, in recognition of the commitment of our working pioneers to the core values of our society:- genuine democracy, independence, social justice, mateship, dislike of authority, hard work, opportunity and a fair go, as part of a watershed we must now face to decide the survival of our European civilisation.
We also demand the charade of a public holiday in honour of the English Queen's birthday on 11th June, totally irrelevant to 21st century Australians, be abolished and replaced by Australian Shearers and Workers Day - 6th May.
Return to Home Page